What are the Highland Lakes Equality Center’s educational seminars?

The HLEC’s primary role is to help build a bridge between LGBTQ members and those who love them but don’t understand why they must live as their authentic selves. That’s why the HLEC leaders and numerous consultants created educational seminars to teach those who work directly with members of the LGBTQ community the best ways to help them. These seminars explain why LGBTQ members must come out, explore the LGBTQ history and its leaders, and teaches attendees the best ways to work with LGBTQ individuals. Each seminar includes booklets, presentations, refreshments and are taught by the writers and editors of the seminar. At the end, participants fill out surveys and receive certificates.

Why we offer the educational seminars?

We feel very strongly, there was a personal experience, somebody introduced us to this. Be vulnerable. You saw a need or experienced firsthand or somebody in the family experienced this, and you knew there was a better way.

HLEC leaders believe the best way to fulfill our desire to help others better understand the LGBTQ community is by educating them on the pain, struggles, loneliness, hurt and isolation so many feel after they tell their loved ones their personal truths. Most of our leaders have experienced firsthand the rejection from many in society who lack the knowledge and understanding of our internal conflict in needing to be our authentic selves while wanting to protect our family’s good names and reputations. We believe by talking about it, by explaining it, we’re eliminating the untrue stigmas of the LGBTQ community.

Who is this for?

The educational seminars include continuing education units for counselors, family therapists and social workers who want to know how to better serve their LGBTQ clients or want to start treating them. The seminars also have been attended by parents, friends, spouses and loved ones of the LGBTQ community who want to figure out how to communicate with them and grasp that individual’s truth.

HLEC presenters are available to give the seminars to companies, businesses, government agencies and educators. Contact us at info@hlequalitycenter.org to learn how.

 


SEMINARS:

Transgender Transform Protocol: Creating Rapport with Your Transgender Clients

This seminar, worth six CEUs, teaches attendees about the struggles and harm to the transgender community, its myths and history, why some are angry, and the best ways to help them. Written for counselors, family therapists and licensed social workers who work with transgender clients or would like to, this informative class is taught by a transgender woman of the Highland Lakes Equality Center, who also wrote the seminar.


LGBTQ 101: A Primer for Therapists on How to Serve the Community With Respect

This seminar gives the basic facts of the LGBTQ community, including common terms, myths, history, why members must come out, the proper ways to address transgender people, and hot button issues such as sex trafficking, trauma, discrimination, and other topics affecting the populace.


LGBTQ 101: A Primer for School Counselors on How to Better Serve Students and their Families

Written specifically for school counselors, teachers and administrators, this seminar thoroughly explains the minds of LGBTQ students and the emotions they are wrestling with as they go from child to teenager to adult. Loaded with answers, advice and tips, this seminar addresses the fears, concerns and confusion students and their families are experiencing. School personnel assisted in the writing of this seminar based on their own occurrences in the classroom and in one-on-one sessions. The seminar includes in-depth data on transgender students.